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Review |
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 Formed in 2005, it wasn’t until 2007 that
home-grown pop-punks YMAS became recognised. They
were nominated for ‘Best British Newcomer’
at the Kerrang! awards in 2007 and for ‘Best
British Band’ the next year. They’ve
worked their way up from 150 capacity venues to
packing out a 3000 capacity like the Academy in
a matter of months.
The Academy is busier than I’ve ever seen
it when I arrive, and the atmosphere is charged.
A thin white curtain shields the stage from prying
eyes. I have to fight my way to my position in
the photo pit. From here, I have a privileged
peek behind the curtain, but, sadly, there’s
just a bunch of roadies. I’ve missed the
beginning of the evening, but someone tells me
the excitable teenage crowd had been queuing around
the block since 9am this morning. Now that’s
devotion.
 I’m sure the sound engineer is toying with
us: he keeps dipping the music as if the band
is about to arrive, only to return it to the normal
volume a few seconds later. The crowd goes CRAZY
every time this happens. The excitement almost
seems too much for the young fans. Some hyperventilating
pre-teens are pulled out of the pit before the
set has even begun.
Finally, YMAS take to the stage, to an incredible
reception. They play their opening riff from behind
the curtain, lit by a few spotlights, and just
as the song kicks in, the curtain drops dramatically.
They play an energising set from start to finish.
For anyone who hasn’t heard them, they sound
like a mix between Fall Out Boy and Yellowcard,
with catchy melodies coming out of their ears.
In fact, the influence of FOB is so clear, that
their transition from ‘Truth is a Terrible
Thing’ into their cover of ‘Sugar,
We’re Going Down’, was seamless.
 You can’t fault YMAS on their performance,
and you can’t deny that they are incredible
crowd-pleasers, but I find myself getting tired
of the whole thing after a while. Perhaps it’s
the inane catchiness of the songs, or perhaps
the lack of variety that they display. There were
some stand-out tracks like ‘If I Were in
Your Shoes’, ‘Always Attract’,
‘Save it for the Bedroom’ and ‘The
Rumour’, but the pop-punkiness of it all
just started to roll into one.
Surprisingly, they opt not to give an encore,
but warn us that they are approaching their last
few songs. Frankly, I’m used to being given
this warning, and still expecting an encore, but
it was quite clear once the house lights came
on, that it had been our lot. Still, they gave
us a full 80 minutes, and I didn’t see any
of the fans complaining as they left the venue,
with enormous smiles smeared across their faces.
You Me At Six – 4/5
Review By Helen Williams
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Me At Six |
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| Band
Related Links |
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| Review
Score Code |
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- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
-
What Was That? |
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